The new rules of beauty are that there are no rules except one: be awesome. Which is why in this month's issue of Glamour, we're profiling 39 game changers who are doing exactly that. Here, beauty vlogger and CoverGirl's hijab-wearing brand ambassador Nura Afia opens up about what it means to be beautiful in 2017, breastfeeding, her impressive daily makeup routine, and more.

What's your first memory of beauty?

We weren't really allowed to wear makeup growing up, but when I started wearing the [hijab] that’s when my mom was like, "Okay, you can wear eyeliner." But it wasn't really eyeliner—it’s called kohl, and it's a mineral powder you dip a stick in and you roll it on your eye. That was my first real experience with makeup. I was 13.

One is a way to remain modest and the other is more of an outward adorning—tell us about that duality.

I think it's all about intention. Obviously, I'm not wearing makeup to go attract the opposite sex. Most Middle Eastern men who aren't more accepting of what I do would think [that], but it’s not for men. At the end of the day, I think that's how most women feel.

So why do you wear makeup?

Because I feel like it helped me gain my confidence. I don't wear super-heavy makeup like I do in my videos or my pictures on an daily basis. It's just another way of expressing myself because you see my face and I can dress it up, dress it down, make it outrageous, you know, do whatever with it. I think it's fun to play because it washes off at the end of the day. People forget that.

How has your relationship with beauty evolved?

In high school, I'd sneak CoverGirl eyeliner, that one that clicks up, and I would draw a really thick black line on top, then take it off once I got home. When I got married at 18, that’s when my husband—he’s really easy going—was like 'do it' [and] he bought me makeup. He didn't really care. That's when I started really experimenting—eyeshadows and foundation and all that stuff.

What kinds of treatments make you feel instantly beautiful?

I love the process of getting ready. It takes me a while, so it's very therapeutic for me because days I don't wear makeup, I feel like I'm not awake. I feel like it's my morning run. I feel good about my day when I get to have that slow process of getting ready.

Take us through the process. You wake up…

I wake up. I wash my face. I exfoliate more than anyone probably should, and I’ll usually put a YouTube video on my phone so I hear it in the background. Then I do my makeup.

How long does the process take?

For a full face, it takes two hours. For a quick process—a good mascara, groomed brows, fresh skin—I can do in about 30 minutes. Yeah, I know that’s still long for most people, right?

Two hours, that’s impressive.

That’s when my makeup’s popping. It better be, right, after two hours?

I feel like they're changing slowly because so many different people are making videos, and everybody is different. I just love that everybody does their own thing, and I think YouTube and social media in general has made that okay.

In 2017, what does beauty mean to you?

To keep being myself. I feel like I’ve always been a little insecure and I want to really break out of that shell.

What do you think you were insecure about?

I guess just societal beauty standards. I never thought I would be in this position today. I'm really short, and people say I have good skin, but I've always nitpicked at the little things.

What's a time you felt the most beautiful?

When I was breastfeeding. I felt really good. My skin was good after I had my daughter. My whole life, I've been kind of thicker, and I slimmed down—not super skinny, but smaller than I've probably ever been, which is shocking after having a baby. I felt a glow, like that pregnancy glow, afterwards when I was breastfeeding.

Do you feel like it was just the physical changes or was it also the experience of breastfeeding?

I think the experience and just giving birth. I gave birth naturally, no drugs, nothing. I understand women that can't because I don't know if I can do it again, but I just wanted to have that one experience. It’s really empowering, because it's a struggle to breastfeed too, you know? I got infections, but I felt so empowered because only women can do it.

Lastly, what advice would you give to your 13-year-old self?

Just because you don't look like everyone else doesn't mean you’re any less than anyone else.